In 2004 the song "Vorbei" (Over) reached the German Top 100, and in April 2005, a new version of "Ich lebe" was produced especially for the German and Switzerland market. That song reached very high positions in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, making Christina Stürmer well-known in the German-speaking countries. 2006 was her most successful year. She sold more than 1.5 million copies of her CDs in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.
Early life and music career
Early years
Christina came from a very musical family. At the age of thirteen she played the saxophone in a jazz band. In addition to the saxophone, she also played the transverse flute. In 1998 she sang in a cover band which she had founded, named "Scotty", which played mostly English language songs. She was also a member of an a cappella group named Sulumelina. After dropping out of high school, Christina began an apprenticeship with the bookstore, Amadeus. A few months after that she applied to Starmania.
Starmania
In 2003, Stürmer won second place in Starmania behind Michael Tschuggnall. Shortly after that she released her first original song, "Ich Lebe" (I Live) which in 2003 occupied the number one spot on the Austrian music charts for nine weeks.
Beginning her career in Austria
Concert Euro 2008
After "Ich Lebe" followed two more highly successful singles: "Geh nicht wenn du kommst" (Don't Go When You Come) and the anti-war song Mama (ana Ahabak) (Arabic for Mama, I Love You) which originated during the war in Iraq. The song represents a little Iraqi girl's perspective of the war, and it also spent nine weeks at the number one spot on the Austrian charts. Her first album, Freier Fall (Free Fall), was released exclusively in Austria in May 2003, and it also rose quickly to the top of the charts, where it occupied the number one spot for weeks. In fall of 2003 she did an Austrian tour behind the strength of her first album.
In May 2004 her second album, Soll das wirklich alles sein (Should that really be all) appeared, again only in Austria. The album was even more successful than Freier Fall, (Free Fall) but the album's singles had only average sales figures. The Wirklich alles! (Really Everything!) tour in Austria followed in the fall. The highlight of this tour was the concert at Vienna city hall in November, which sold out all 11,000 tickets in a very short time. The concert was filmed, and along with some interviews and a short biography, was released in DVD form as Wirklich alles! During the club tour that began directly after the Vienna concert, she presented for the first time her own original compositions, which she had written with her band.
Breakthrough in Germany
At this time, Christina and her managers, Andreas Streit and Bernd Rengleshausen, were working towards breaking through in Germany. The single Vorbei was released in Germany in November 2004, but it fell short of expectations. In April 2005 a re-worked version of "Ich Lebe" was released in Germany. This single met with great success; it rose to ninth place on the German charts, and shortly thereafter reached number four.
The album which followed, named Schwarz Weiss (Black & White) was released in June 2005, in Germany and Switzerland, reached number three on the German album charts, and stayed in the top twenty for more than a year. The majority of the songs on this album, which were mostly already known in Austria, were reproduced and oriented towards the emerging trends in German rock and pop music. The singles were "Engel fliegen Einsam" (Angels Fly Lonely) "Mama (Ana Ahabak)", and "Immer an euch geglaubt" (Always Believed In You). The singles were also re-recorded to be more rock oriented. In late 2005 Christina and her band toured through Germany and Switzerland. The Schwarz-Weiss tour, with just under 40 concerts, lasted two months, in which some concerts had to be relocated to larger halls because of the great demand for tickets. Christina Stürmer and her band had established themselves as a major group.
Awards
Amadeus Austrian Music Award 2004 for "Best Pop/Rock national" and "Newcomer of the Year national"
Amadeus Austrian Music Award 2005 for "Best Pop/Rock national" and "Best Single national"
ECHO 2006 for "Best National Female Artist (Rock/Pop)"
Amadeus Austrian Music Award 2006 for "Best Pop/Rock national" and "Best Single national"
Goldene Stimmgabel 2006 for "Best German Rock/Pop"
Augenblick am Tag
Christina Stürmer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Unaufhaltsam läuft die Zeit
Sie hat uns längst schon überholt
Mit unserem Leben
Auf dem Rücksitz festgeschnallt wegen der Sicherheit
Das ganze Leben läuft nach Plan
Jeden Tag das gleiche Spiel
Alles immer schön im Rahmen
Und täglich grüsst das Murmeltier
Wir hören immer noch die selben Lieder
Sie drehen für uns die Zeit zurück
Für einen Augenblick am Tag
Einen Augenblick am Tag
Wir schwelgen in den alten Melodien
Sie bringen uns dorthin zurück
Für einen Augenblick am Tag
Einen Augenblick am Tag
Jeden Tag wenn die Nacht anbricht
Kommt ein Stück von uns zurück
Ein Glas Rotwein in der Hand
Und wir warten
Auf den MacGyver Making Of Spezial Bericht
Die Bilder längst vergangener Zeit
Haben sich schon lang versteckt
Und der erste Sommerhit ist unsere Gelegenheit
Zurück in die Vergangenheit
Wir hören immer noch die selben Lieder
Sie drehen für uns die Zeit zurück
Für einen Augenblick am Tag
Einen Augenblick am Tag
Wir schwelgen in den alten Melodien
Sie bringen uns dorthin zurück
Für einen Augenblick am Tag
Einen Augenblick am Tag
The first verse of "Augenblick am Tag" by Christina Stürmer describes a feeling of being stuck in a routine, a monotonous existence that has left the singer feeling "vermodert," or decayed inside. They feel like time is passing them by, and that they are merely passengers in their own lives, spectators rather than active participants. They mention being strapped in on the back seat due to safety concerns, which could be seen as a metaphor for feeling like they've given up control over their own destiny. The overarching sentiment here is one of resignation; they've settled for a life of predictability and routine, and have lost the ability to really live in the moment.
The second verse focuses on the power of music to transport us back in time, even if just for a moment. The singer talks about how they listen to the same old songs, ones that they associate with their youth, and how those songs can magically transport them back to those moments, even if just for "einen Augenblick am Tag," or a moment in the day. They use the verb "schwelgen," which means to bask in or revel in something, to describe the experience of listening to these songs. It's clear that this musical nostalgia is a form of escapism for the singer, a way of momentarily leaving behind their mundane existence and finding joy in the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Wir liegen da innerlich vermodert
We are stagnant and decaying internally
Unaufhaltsam läuft die Zeit
Time continues to move relentlessly
Sie hat uns längst schon überholt
Time has already surpassed us
Mit unserem Leben
In regards to our lives
Auf dem Rücksitz festgeschnallt wegen der Sicherheit
Strapped onto the back seat for safety
Das ganze Leben läuft nach Plan
Our entire lives follow a predetermined plan
Jeden Tag das gleiche Spiel
Every day is the same routine
Alles immer schön im Rahmen
Everything always stays within a certain limit
Nur keine Aufregung zu viel
Avoiding any excess excitement
Und täglich grüsst das Murmeltier
Every day is a repetition of the same events
Wir hören immer noch die selben Lieder
We continue to listen to the same songs
Sie drehen für uns die Zeit zurück
The songs take us back in time
Für einen Augenblick am Tag
For a brief moment each day
Wir schwelgen in den alten Melodien
We revel in the nostalgic melodies
Sie bringen uns dorthin zurück
They transport us back to that time
Jeden Tag wenn die Nacht anbricht
Every day when night falls
Kommt ein Stück von uns zurück
A piece of our past returns
Ein Glas Rotwein in der Hand
Holding a glass of red wine
Und wir warten
And we wait
Auf den MacGyver Making Of Spezial Bericht
For the MacGyver Making Of Special Report
Die Bilder längst vergangener Zeit
Images of long gone times
Haben sich schon lang versteckt
Have long been hidden away
Und der erste Sommerhit ist unsere Gelegenheit
And the first summer hit is our chance
Zurück in die Vergangenheit
To go back in time
Wir hören immer noch die selben Lieder
We continue to listen to the same songs
Sie drehen für uns die Zeit zurück
The songs take us back in time
Für einen Augenblick am Tag
For a brief moment each day
Wir schwelgen in den alten Melodien
We revel in the nostalgic melodies
Sie bringen uns dorthin zurück
They transport us back to that time
Contributed by William Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.